Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Saskatchewan Party Does Most Of Its Political Fundraising In Alberta

There is an old saying ... 'He who pays the piper, calls the tune.' You have to wonder if there is a political equivalent of that saying. If there is, it exists in the weird relationship between Alberta's oil patch and Saskatchewan's governing right wing political party.

The governing party of Saskatchewan is doing some very major fundraising one province over in Alberta. In fact, the Alberta corporate oil sector simply LOVES Saskatchewan's new Premier Brad Wall and are giving him truckloads of oil cash to take back and use for his electoral purposes in Saskatchewan.

There ought to be a law that prohibits out of province donations. However, since it is Wall's government that makes the laws in the Saskatchewan legislature, don't hold your breath.

For somone who says he doesn't support the Sask Party, you certainly are quite an apologist for them. It is well known in Saskatchewan (where I DO live) that the Saskies are getting most of their money from Alberta corporate interests:

"On May 1, following the release of its 2007 financial statement, Saskatchewan Party executive director Bob Mason made a comment equally as dumb as Wall’s saying the $3 million in corporate donations — about 62 per cent of total contributions — that the party raked in doesn’t make them beholden to the businesses that gave it.

“There was no promises or no indication given at all in any of our fundraising efforts,” he said. [Most Sask. Party money came from companies (CBC News, May 2, 2008)]

So during all the fundraising junkets to Alberta and private meetings with oil and gas companies and lobby groups that the party has conducted over the last ten years the public is supposed to believe that no promises of any kind were made?

Back in Sept. 2004, on one of his many forays to Calgary, Wall, as leader of the opposition, met with energy companies, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and Saskatchewan expatriates to discuss his new economic plan The Promise of Saskatchewan.

In the article Wall defends Alberta trip as economic opportunity (Leader-Post, Sept. 25, 2004) Wall said the energy sector has a list of what it believes are barriers to growth in Saskatchewan. Those include the province’s capital tax and body of regulations.

Wall said his plan for Enterprise Saskatchewan -- an economic development agency at an arms-length from government -- would create a permanent system within government that would identify those barriers to growth and allow the government to quickly act on them if it so chooses."

Perhaps the NDP ought to come try and hold a $300-a-plate dinner in Calgary and find the reception.

The fact of the matter is that these "Albertans" that Wall was hosting a dinner for were either the elite of Oil world (centered in Calgary) and/or Saskatchewan ex pats. No born and raised Albertan would EVER give their money to a political party from Saskatchewan since many I've encountered look at their neighbors to the east with too much disdain and arrogance to do that (let alone fully welcome them into "their" province).

If you want new business' to come to Saskatchewan to develop its rich resources, then you'll have to go to where they are and play nice. Give them a show and dance and promise new business opportunity for them. Wall came to Calgary not only to raise money, but to sell Saskatchewan to business. If only Calvert had the sense to do that.

You see, BP and Nexen and Syncrude don't care if you're a Lenin worshiping communist or a neoconservative Baptist if you're willing to lower your provincial royalties and give them great incentive to come over the border to make some serious money.

I'm not saying that it's environmentally wise to open up your province to Big Oil - but it is a priority of Wall to create more investment into the province through resource development. You've known that since day 1. So why are his tactics surprising?